. The Book of gardening; a handbook of horticulture. Gardening; Horticulture. 796 THE BOOK OF GARDENING. Epiphyllums.—These Brazilian plants have very fine and highly-coloured flowers, and if brought on in heat are useful for winter decoration. For pot-work they require to be grafted, and the stocks used are Pereskia aculeata and P. Bleo (these should have stems about ift. high); but cuttings are very useful for basket-work on account of their drooping habit. After' grafting, which should- be done in spring, they should be grown on in warmth longer the first year than would be done if the plan
. The Book of gardening; a handbook of horticulture. Gardening; Horticulture. 796 THE BOOK OF GARDENING. Epiphyllums.—These Brazilian plants have very fine and highly-coloured flowers, and if brought on in heat are useful for winter decoration. For pot-work they require to be grafted, and the stocks used are Pereskia aculeata and P. Bleo (these should have stems about ift. high); but cuttings are very useful for basket-work on account of their drooping habit. After' grafting, which should- be done in spring, they should be grown on in warmth longer the first year than would be done if the plants were well established. These plants like more heat than most of the Cacti during winter; further, they cannot bear to be kept quite so dry during that time. If a tempera- ture of about 6odeg. is allowed they will open their flowers in winter; but this tempera- ture should be reduced by 5deg. when the blossoms are well open. E. Russell- ianum (Fig. 532) has small branches about iin. long; the flowers are red, with narrow petals. E. truncatum has branches from iin. to 3in. long, with rose-coloured _flowers and curved petals. There are many hybrids between these, amongst which the following may receive , notice: E. bicolor* purple and white; E. coccineum, scarlet; E. Gcertneri (a hybrid between an Epiphyllum and a Cereus), with beautiful scarlet and violet flowers, resembling those of a Cereus; E. salmoneum, salmon; and E. tricolor, salmon-red and purple. • Leuchtenbergia is a remarkable genus, for, with the exception of the flower, it has rather the appearance of an Agave than a Cactus. The tubercles have the shape of the leaves of that plant. It should be kept in a warm house in winter, getting all the sun possible, and succeeds best in a sunny frame in summer. L. principis is the only species. It reaches a height of about ift. or a little more, with an erect stem; the leaf-like tubercles. Fig. 531.—F-chinopsis Eyriesii Please note that these images are ex
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